Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens are gearing up for the 2025 ICC Women’s U-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia.
The team have been bolstered by two high-profile warm-up matches against Pakistan and Scotland during their final training camp in India.
The team, which has undergone rigorous preparations in Benin City and Lagos, is set to depart for India this month.
The warm-up matches, scheduled for January 13 against Pakistan and January 15 against Scotland, will serve as crucial tests for the team ahead of the global tournament.
Both opponents are also participants in the World Cup, with Pakistan grouped alongside England, Ireland, and the United States, while Scotland shares a group with Australia, Bangladesh, and debutants Nepal.
The friendlies will prepare Nigeria for their opening World Cup fixture against Samoa on Saturday, January 18, at the Borneo Cricket Ground in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Subsequent group games will see them face New Zealand on January 20 and South Africa on January 22.
At a send-off ceremony in Lagos on Friday, Uyi Akpata, President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, lauded the team’s progress and is confident in their potential to succeed on the global stage.
“I do believe in these girls now that I believe it is genuinely possible. These young ladies are showcasing and representing what cricket is all about,” Akpata said.
“Each step of the way has been deliberate. Just go there and continue to deliver on your ability and what you have been doing before.”
Head coach Sarah Bakhita, a Kenyan with extensive coaching experience, echoed similar optimism as the team heads to India for its final phase of preparation.
“We are going to meet experts, so I feel like what we are going to do in India is just fine-tuning because we have done most of the work in Nigeria. We will also be working on our weaknesses,” Bakhita stated.
The Junior Female Yellow Greens’ participation in the World Cup marks Nigeria’s second appearance at any cricket World Cup.
Their first was in 2019 when the men’s U-19 team competed in South Africa.
The team’s journey to Malaysia has been methodical, with each stage of preparation designed to hone their skills and build team cohesion.
